By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Phoenix-area father says he was wrongly barred from his daughter’s elementary school after an automated background check matched his middle name and physical characteristics to a Wisconsin sex offender registry entry.
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Jonathan Castillo went to Las Brisas Elementary School to enroll his daughter. School staff photographed him, which Castillo said he believed was for a visitor badge. Hours later, he received a text message saying he was not approved, followed by a phone call.
“I got a call from the school principal saying we need to let you know that your name and photo was flagged out of the state of Wisconsin for a sex registry sexual assault and I need to let you know that until there’s an investigation, you’re not allowed to be on school grounds,” Castillo said.
Castillo said he has never been to Wisconsin and is not a sex offender. He is a veteran who served as a combat medic.
“Your heart is just pounding. What do you mean? Where is this coming from? What does this mean for me? Are the police going to show up at my door? What’s happening? I care about children so to be in the same sentence as someone on a sexual registry is devastating as a parent,” Castillo said.
School apologizes after letter from father
Castillo wrote a letter to the school Tuesday demanding answers about which vendor was used and the basis for the match. The school responded Wednesday, apologizing for the mistake, identifying the vendor and confirming that Castillo’s middle name and certain physical characteristics matched someone in the registry.
The school has since cleared Castillo, but he said he is still seeking answers.
“Who authorized the decision to say this person is not allowed on school grounds? Just a third-party computer or a human who verified this? I have no idea how you made that judgment in the first place or how you’re going to ensure that doesn’t happen again to me or other parents,” Castillo said.
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Private investigator: Automated background checks ‘notoriously incomplete’
Longtime Valley private investigator Rich Robertson said automated background check systems can be problematic.
“They are notoriously incomplete, unreliable, and then you combine it with a faulty input. In this case his name was entered incorrectly. Combine that with the problems of these databases, and these are the kind of results you wind up with. Innocent people being snagged into being wrongly accused,” Robertson said.
Father calls for accountability, systemic fix
Castillo said he believes background check systems can play a role in protecting children, but that the process needs to be executed correctly. He said the only explanation he received from the district was that his middle name and physical characteristics matched something in the system.
Arizona’s Family has reached out to the district with additional questions about the vendor and the circumstances of the match. The vendor identified by the school has also been contacted.
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